To wait or not to wait...
- Thread starter MartyB
- Start date
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109157410555
I don’t know which part of the Uk you’re in - Portsmouth might be a bit of a hike?
I have just looked at the MOT history - You might be advised to do some homework if you look at this one
(Inside of one rear tyre and outside of the other and a diff output shaft weeping.)
I don’t know which part of the Uk you’re in - Portsmouth might be a bit of a hike?
I have just looked at the MOT history - You might be advised to do some homework if you look at this one
(Inside of one rear tyre and outside of the other and a diff output shaft weeping.)
Ronk - I did indeed follow up on the car I posted about originally which had an advisory on the MOT regarding the shock absorber...ronk said:
The dealer didn't know anything about it but tried to assure me that anything wrong with the car would be put right if I was to go ahead with the purchase.
As for price, he said there was no movement as they are an online business so don't put much on the cars in terms of profit to begin with.
Kind of put off that car by the conversation... think it's time to wait till the next one comes along.
I thought about posting a WANTED ad in the 'sale' section of the forum but there seems to have been a few people posting for 35i/is with little to no response
.Very large looking showroom for an "online business"... regardless, online business should mean lower overheads and lower prices, but that one looks at the higher end. At that price I'd be wanting a BMW approved used warranty or similar.
There are plenty of 35i on autotrader with sensible prices, if you're happy to live with the lower spec.
If you're patient the right one will come up eventually, IIRC there were a few bargains on the forum around Feb/Mar last year.
There are plenty of 35i on autotrader with sensible prices, if you're happy to live with the lower spec.
If you're patient the right one will come up eventually, IIRC there were a few bargains on the forum around Feb/Mar last year.
Sorry to hear they couldn’t be a little more financially flexible. They deserve to have it on their books for a while!
A wanted ad won’t do any harm and a forum car will probably have been well treated.
Enjoy the search and be prepared to travel.
Have you looked at the Bmw approved used cars?
It might be worth a trip to your local dealer and tell them what your after - at least you will get some free coffee and biscuits provided!
You might pay a little more but you will have a car with known / traceable history and a decent warranty
A wanted ad won’t do any harm and a forum car will probably have been well treated.
Enjoy the search and be prepared to travel.
Have you looked at the Bmw approved used cars?
It might be worth a trip to your local dealer and tell them what your after - at least you will get some free coffee and biscuits provided!
You might pay a little more but you will have a car with known / traceable history and a decent warranty
Can I just say regarding only buying with a warranty, a warranty is issued though an insurance company, these companies are there to make a profit, that would suggest that you are more likely to buy a 35i/is and have more chances off spending less on repairs than on insurance premiums, granted there is always a lemon out there, plus you are more likely to live with a minor problem than taking it for repair, but I don’t think that all 35’s are money pits, so far I’ve been fortunate and not had anything major fail, I’m also pretty hands on and my son is a mechanic (so no extortionate labouer costs), but even so I don’t think a warranty is the be and ends all for the 35’s, just be aware of the potential costs involved and be prepared to put your hand in your pocket should anything go wrong, put money aside each month and chances are over 3 or 4 years you will be better off.
When I say for that price I would want a good warranty, I mean to give peace of mind regarding any existing issues. I wouldn't want to hand over £26k for a car with zero/little recourse if it's got problems.
I now run my 35is without a warranty. As you're looking at an LCI model, I believe that a lot of components have been revised since the earlier days of the N54 engine and a lot of the "horror" stories are less relevant. I had my cam cover gasket changed this month, which I'm now sure was a mis-diagnosis (partly due to my own anxiety after reading that it's a weak point), and the one that came out after 53k miles looks and feels as good as new - yet the internet will tell you that these are made of chocolate...
If you want a car that's made of expensive bits, you are going to have to pay more to get those parts replaced. Obviously a 340bhp car is going to be more expensive to repair than a Ford Fiesta 1.0, but that should go without saying and the costs are hardly crippling.
I now run my 35is without a warranty. As you're looking at an LCI model, I believe that a lot of components have been revised since the earlier days of the N54 engine and a lot of the "horror" stories are less relevant. I had my cam cover gasket changed this month, which I'm now sure was a mis-diagnosis (partly due to my own anxiety after reading that it's a weak point), and the one that came out after 53k miles looks and feels as good as new - yet the internet will tell you that these are made of chocolate...
If you want a car that's made of expensive bits, you are going to have to pay more to get those parts replaced. Obviously a 340bhp car is going to be more expensive to repair than a Ford Fiesta 1.0, but that should go without saying and the costs are hardly crippling.
Agreed. The N54 for all it's faults is still a good engine so the attitude of only buying one if you have recourse for those "inevitable" failures is a little churlish IMO. BMW have made many, many less reliable engines, the N62, N63 and S85 are good examples. Pretty much every S engine is considered to be pretty expensive to live with.tiglon said:
As long as the would be buyer knows that it’s Russian Roulette on the 35i/35is then it’s fine.
We have seen here 35i/35is new owners metaphorically crying when one of the ‘time bombs’ has gone off and they are surprised.
It’s folks who have stretched themselves financially and have little technical capability where the failures hurt the most.
Of course newer / lower mileages cars should offer more time / less probability of failures but still I think it’s caveat emperor.
Trouble is with a very poor BMW service schedule a lot of unnecessary wear n tear takes place as they try to avoid any servicing for the first three years.
My 11 reg 50,000 miler, within 5,000 miles of ownership had the usual front adaptive suspension leaks, ignition coil failure and we discovered a botched fuel injector repair. So that’s at least £3,000 worth of warranty work.
We have seen here 35i/35is new owners metaphorically crying when one of the ‘time bombs’ has gone off and they are surprised.
It’s folks who have stretched themselves financially and have little technical capability where the failures hurt the most.
Of course newer / lower mileages cars should offer more time / less probability of failures but still I think it’s caveat emperor.
Trouble is with a very poor BMW service schedule a lot of unnecessary wear n tear takes place as they try to avoid any servicing for the first three years.
My 11 reg 50,000 miler, within 5,000 miles of ownership had the usual front adaptive suspension leaks, ignition coil failure and we discovered a botched fuel injector repair. So that’s at least £3,000 worth of warranty work.
So that begs the next question!
How do you see a later model surviving?
Areas of failure will have (hopefully) been addressed and services will have been very punctual and a low miles summer only car (ie mine
) will have been over serviced.
Currently no suspension leaks at 14k - I hope that’s not the kiss o death!
How do you see a later model surviving?
Areas of failure will have (hopefully) been addressed and services will have been very punctual and a low miles summer only car (ie mine
) will have been over serviced.Currently no suspension leaks at 14k - I hope that’s not the kiss o death!
ronk said:
Even if it is you’ve a warranty in place to cover it :wink:
ronk said:So that begs the next question!
How do you see a later model surviving?
Areas of failure will have (hopefully) been addressed and services will have been very punctual and a low miles summer only car (ie mine
Currently no suspension leaks at 14k - I hope that’s not the kiss o death!
If you take the various ‘failures’ attributable to 35i/35is then..
Coils and plugs are disposable items..expect to replace them every 30k-50k depending on the state of tune
Injectors..once they’ve been replaced with index 12 version should last a very long time
HPFP, looks like around 2010/2012 they ‘fixed it’…so later versions should be ok
Adaptive dampers fail circa 50k-75k but obviously depends on many factors
DCT box is a function of abuse and lack of oil changes…well looked after a long time, re-mapped and abused 50k-75k
Turbo waste gates 50k miles on..again silly boost pressures will show their weaknesses sooner
Like people smoking 80 a day..not everybody dies of lung cancer but..
Like many you could buy a car , run it for 2 years, do say 5k miles sell it and no issues..
All the other issues are common to the N52, probably just accelerated due to heat n stress…cam box, cam box gasket, ditto oil filter, water pump
Thanks for that Peter
That all sounds like my old jallopy with its current use should be ok for a few years yet?
I was fairly certain you were the fella to ask about the updated components
Consumables are Just a fact of life and my car has a very gentle life - summer use / dry garage and always warmed up gently!
Currently sitting at 14k at 5yrs old - I think it will last a while - unless the M40i itch / availability starts again!
That all sounds like my old jallopy with its current use should be ok for a few years yet?
I was fairly certain you were the fella to ask about the updated components
Consumables are Just a fact of life and my car has a very gentle life - summer use / dry garage and always warmed up gently!
Currently sitting at 14k at 5yrs old - I think it will last a while - unless the M40i itch / availability starts again!
